Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method for configuring a device in a local area network, a LAN, using a gateway. The invention further relates to a computer readable medium for performing, when executed by a processor, such method. The invention further relates to a gateway device for configuring a user device in a local area network. Finally the invention relates to a network system including such device.
Description of the Related Art
Configuration of a local area network, a LAN, is known in the art. LANs are used in both domestic and commercial environments, and various methods are known in the art to enable devices to operate within and across such networks. For example, US 2006/0203815 describes a method and system for verifying compliance of a device wishing to access a corporate network from outside the network, in which compliance verification is performed by installing an agent software on the device, detecting boot-up of the device, providing the device with a temporary IP address within a compliance network which is logically separate from the corporate network, verifying the device for each of a list of compliance rules and transmitting the result for each rule, deciding on compliance based on the transmitted results and if the device is compliant instructing a switch port at OSI layer 2 to connect the device to the corporate network, otherwise switching the device to a logically separate network.
Nowadays network devices may be obtained by consumers in general stores. Generally, these network devices need some service from a provider across the network. Installing such service onto the device within a home network of the consumer may not be a problem if the service provider is identical to the internet service provider of the respective consumer. However, configuration of such device becomes more difficult, if not impossible, if the provider of the service is different from the internet service provider.
It is desirable to be able to automatically connect and configure an off-the-shelf bought networked device within a home network so that the device is fully operational. Preferably, the result is that the device can perform all services it is designed to do without being bound by network barriers.